The U.S. Postal Service issued a cease and desist order against that particular company.

Several people also reported those mailings to the Attorney General’s office, which said it has received more than 5,000 complaints about such scams since 2004. The office previously filed five similar cases.

“While those cases were filed in San Diego, the victims were statewide. There’s no doubt this scam has impacted Orange County businesses,” said Attorney General spokesman Evan Westrup.

He also encouraged any business receiving similar letters to contact the AG’s public inquiry unit at 800-952-5225 or go online here to report it.

The three new cases involve separate activities with similar approaches. According to the Attorney General’s office, defendants mailed to small businesses solicitations that appeared to be government documents claiming that the business was in danger of losing its corporate or limited liability status if payment was not made quickly.

In each case the letter had an official-looking seal, official-sounding name, references to the state Corporations Code and a “reply by” date.

“These cases will send a powerful signal that small-business owners must be on the alert,” Attorney General Jerry Brown said. “These rip-off artists sent official-looking documents through the mail for the sole purpose of duping small-business owners into paying them money for no value in return.”

The cases, according to Brown’s office, involve:

Anthony Williams running the “Compliance Annual Minutes Board” mailed forms demanding that the recipient complete the form and return it with an “annual fee” of $150 or risk loss of corporate status. Williams prepared generic fictitious minutes for the business owners who paid the fee, the AG said.

George Alan Miller, Rebecca Miller, Arghisti Keshishyan and Kristina Keshishyan operated two corporations and one limited liability company: Annual Review Board, Inc., Business Filings Division and Corpfilers.com, LLC. They mailed demands that the recipients complete the form and return it with payment, ranging from $195 to $239, or risk penalties, fines and suspension.